Car Wash
by chiharu-tanaka
Summary: AU. Inspired by the Shark Tale OST. Tifa, who just graduated, was working hard under the hot summer sun. Things change when a man steps into the car wash office... Pairings Rufus/Tifa. DISCONTINUED
1. The Blue BMW

**Car Wash**

by Chiharu Tanaka

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extra info:

rating – K+

genre – romance/drama

summary – AU. Inspired by Christina Aguilera's - Car Wash (Shark Tale OST). Tifa and Cloud gets a summer job at a car wash after graduating. Aerith and a few of the gang becomes their colleagues. However, boring washes under the summer sun changes when a man steps into the car wash office… NO FLAMING, just R&R.

A/n: Heheh, just thought of a lil' sumthin-sumthin when I was listening to 'Car Wash' by Christina Aguilera and Missy Elliot. XD. Not sure whether I wanna continue with this though…

Disclaimer: I don't own any of Square-Enix's characters. I just play with them in my brain. Mwahahahaha…

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Chapter 1: The Blue BMW

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A young girl, roughly about 18 or so, was walking your normal American car wash. She had long brown-black hair that was tied up into a ponytail, and a blue cap on her head. She was wearing a t-shirt that said "Wallace Car Wash" and a pair of faded blue jeans. Her brownish red eyes roamed around the area, until she spotted something.

"Hey, Cloud!" she yelled. A guy turned to her, a yellow sponge in his hand. He had soap on his cheeks. He had this annoyed look on his face, and yelled back, "You got the extra sponges?"

The girl giggled and ran towards him. "Here," she said, handing him a pack of sponges. He rinsed his hands with water, later running his fingers through his blond hair. "Bah, it's so hot today," he complained. She giggled again. "What's so funny, Teef?" he asked.

"You just used 'Bah…' again. It's so not you," she said, grabbing herself a sponge. He just stared at her with his green-blue eyes. "Hmph, whatever," he muttered.

The girl, known as Tifa Lockheart, with 'Teef' as a nickname, was a high-school graduate, doing a job at the car wash with her best friend Cloud Strife to earn extra pocket money while waiting for their college applications to be replied.

"That's done. Let's go report to Aerith," muttered Cloud casually. Tifa laughed at him. "You just can't wait to meet Aerith again, can you?" she teased meekly. Cloud snorted, throwing a wet sponge at her. "Hey!" she squeaked. "Whatever. I'm not working overtime on this car," he mumbled before leaving Tifa there. Tifa pouted, before yelling at the running Cloud, "Whatever, Cloud!"

As Cloud entered the office, Tifa sighed, carrying the sponges in a pail. She set the hose aside and dropped the pail near the hose. She then went to the vending machine and inserted some coins. A Pepsi can came out. She picked it up and opened it, and gulped it down to quench her thirst that hot summer day.

She set the can aside when she saw a blue BMW drive up the area. "Hmm? Must be a rich dude's car…" she mumbled, before taking the can of Pepsi and drinking it again. She sat down on a chair, watching the car park at the washing area. A tall redhead came out. He had a face that tells you that he's drunk. His long red hair was tied into a loose ponytail. A pair of black sunglasses was used to hold his bangs from reaching his eyes. His blue suit and white shirt was all wrinkled up, as if he bothered to iron anyway.

Tifa smiled at him. "Hey, Reno! Long time no see!" she yelled to the redhead. Reno turned to Tifa. "Teef! How're you doing, gal? I missed ya!" he said, walking over to the girl. Tifa giggled. "You haven't changed at all, Reno! What're you doing here? Is that your car? Though I doubt it is…"

Reno chuckled. "Yea, you're right. It ain't mine. It belongs to my boss. He wants this car washed here, so he sent me instead," he said. "You work here?" he asked. "Yeah, summer job. I just graduated with Cloud," she said casually.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Graduated, huh? Strife still not your boyfriend?" he joked. Tifa pouted. "Jeez, Reno! I just had a crush on him when I was 14! Get over it!" Reno laughed. "Okay, chill, Teef, it was just a joke."

Reno had known Tifa way back when she was a little girl. He was older than her by 5 years, but they became close friends when he moved in next door. Tifa had to move somewhere else when she reached high school. Of course, they still kept in touch via e-mails and SMS.

"Well, I'll just head over to the counter. Looks like you and Strife have a job to do. Oh, mind you, the boss wants you to be gentle with his car. Though…he has five more, why worry?" Reno joked again, walking into the office. Tifa giggled, following him. "That's some rich boss you've got," she remarked. Reno smirked. "You have no idea how friggin rich he is. Powerful, too."

Reno walked over to Aerith, who was sitting by the computer. She smiled at Reno. "How may I help you, sir?" she asked sweetly. Her green eyes reflected her happy-go-lucky personality. Her long, wavy, mahogany coloured hair was tied up to a ponytail by a silky pink ribbon. Reno smirked at the beautiful girl. "Well, you can do so by giving me your number…" he began, but got cut off by Tifa's warning glare. "…eheh, nevermind. I'd just like Tifa and Strife wash my boss' car. Inside and outside. He wants it spotless," he ended.

Aerith smiled, before saying, "That'll be 40 dollars, would it be in cash or charge?" Reno smirked, and took out a platinum credit card and swiped it on the machine. "Hey, it's HIS car, I'M not paying for it," he said before sitting down on one of the sofas in the office. Tifa sighed. Aerith whispered, "You know him?" Tifa nodded. "My neighbour before I moved. Looks like he's here as well."

Aerith typed a few things into her computer before saying, "Cloud, could you go wash the car with Tifa?" Cloud's ears instantly perked up from the restroom, and he went out quickly. Aerith's voice was like music to his ears. "Yes, ma'am," he said with a salute, before marching out the office. Both Tifa and Aerith giggled. "I could've sworn he was born a soldier…" mumbled Aerith.

Reno gaped in awe as he saw his boss' car after it was cleaned. "Man, I always knew boss was a neat freak, but you were actually able to make it _cleaner_…" he muttered sarcastically. Tifa laughed before slapping his shoulder. "I have a lot of hidden abilities. You just don't notice them," she said.

Reno raised an eyebrow at her. "Right…" he mumbled. Suddenly, Reno's hand phone rang. He answered the call. "Yo, Reno here. Oh, hey boss. Uh huh, uh huh, okay, I'll bring her there at once, sir." He opened the door and said, "Thanks for the cleaning, Teef. Wow, it even smells like you in here! Ha ha ha…well, see you later!" He climbed into the driver's seat, closed the door, started the engine, and zoomed off.

Tifa sighed again. "He is never going to change…"

* * *

Reno stood by a glass wall, waiting for his boss to come down. The elevator doors opened, and out stepped a tall man, around 6 feet tall, wearing white jackets over a black turtleneck with white pants and brown leather shoes. He raked his fingers through his shiny, smooth, blond hair that was gelled back, apparently; and walked over to Reno, black suitcase in the other hand. He looked at Reno with his icy blue eyes.

"Good afternoon, Prez. Your car's _spotless_ now," said Reno sarcastically, handing his boss the car keys. "Hmph," he snorted, before taking the keys and walking outside to his car, and unlocked and later opened the door. A small breeze blew through his face, as if it came from the car. A faint smell of pink champagne lingered within his car. "Weird," he mumbled to himself, before starting the car and driving it home.

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To be continued…

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A/n: Ohohohoho! Somebody's car has been jinxed! LOL…now Winamp is playing the Car Wash song for the 1,000,000th time...read and review! 


	2. The White Porsche

**Car Wash**

_by Chiharu Tanaka_

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**A/n:** 2nd chapter. Go figure. Pairings are Rufus/Tifa and Cloud/Aerith, run away if you don't wanna read, or if you're just reading so that you can flame me later. I will personally murder you with Sephiroth's masamune (I stole it) if you flame me, so I strongly discourage you from flaming, OK? 

**Disclaimer:** OMG, I OWN FF7! MUAHAHAHAHA (gets stabbed by Sephiroth and Cloud, punched by Tifa, zapped by Aerith, and shot by Rufus) Ouchies…

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**Chapter 2: The White Porsche**

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Several days later… 

"Reno, what now?" yelled the young President in anger as he answered the phone. He was driving, who wouldn't be pissed?

"I advise you don't come to the office now, Prez Rufus…_Scarlet_'s here…" Reno said in a loud whisper, emphasizing "Scarlet".

'Scarlet! Uggghhh…' thought Rufus in disgust. "Fine. Call me when she's gone," he replied, turning left at a corner. "You can count on me, sir," said Reno, before hanging up.

Rufus closed his flip phone with a soft 'clap' from the item. He drove around, avoiding his office for the time being.

President of ShinRa Electric Company at the age of 21, he was a bit 'young' for the job. However, his actions made people think different of him. He pitched in some projects involving development of outstation areas in the country, which gave him a high position in the government. His father's assassination came as a shock to the citizens, but it gave them relief when Rufus stepped in. His father never really cared much for the people, so the people liked Rufus' presence very much.

'My car is a bit dirty…' he thought. Being the perfectionist, and all-around rich brat, he drove into the car wash Reno brought his BMW to. Wallace Car Wash.

Tifa was reading the newspaper about ShinRa's new project: Massive Hydroelectric Powerplants, when she heard the humming of a car engine. She set the newspaper aside and looked up to the car. It was a brand new, state-of-the-art, white Porsche model. She gaped at the sight of the beautiful and very expensive car and stood up. Cloud noticed the car as well and went, "Wow, what a beaut…"

Rufus stepped out of the car, flipping his hair before walking towards the office. It was then he saw a girl with long brown hair and red eyes looking at him. She was wearing the car wash's T- shirt, but the sleeves were rolled up and the sides of the shirt were tied into a knot in the middle, exposing her stomach, not to mention she was wearing really short jeans. A blond haired guy beside her was still gaping at his car. He smirked at the girl and tipped down his sunglasses which is very elegant and expensive (of course), winked, tipped it back up and then went inside.

Tifa felt the blood rushing up to her cheeks as she saw _the_ President of ShinRa Electric Company _wink_ at her. Fortunately for her, Cloud was _still_ gaping at the car, so he didn't notice Rufus winking at Tifa. "That's some car…" he mumbled softly, admiring it. Tifa, on the other hand, peeked into the office through the large glass window. She could see Rufus talking to Aerith, and Aerith bowing to him and smiling as usual. Later, she saw him took out a platinum credit card out of his wallet and he swiped it on the credit card machine.

'Why does that look familiar…nah, Reno's boss much be rich like him too,' Tifa thought as she watched him sit down and pick up _The Daily News_ and started reading. Cloud saw Tifa peeking, and he followed. "Hey, that's Rufus ShinRa! What's he doing here?" asked Cloud over Tifa's head.

Tifa squeaked a little, then muttered, "Looks like the car wash just got famous…" Cloud just nodded, then walked into the office. Tifa followed him, trying to hide herself from Rufus' prying eyes. Or at least, she thought his eyes were prying on her…

"You guys wash the President's car, okay? Zack, Yuffie and Cid are a bit busy right now…" Aerith whispered to them. Cloud gave her another salute. "Yes, ma'am," he said playfully. Aerith giggled at him and resumed working. Cloud and Tifa walked outside, grabbed some sponges, cloths, and pails.

Rufus read through the newspaper quickly, eyeing the stock market and business section. He breezed through the entertainment and world section, not interested in cartoons and wars happening outside the country. After reading, he kept the newspaper open, and looked at Aerith. She was typing a lot of stuff onto the computer. He then turned to Cloud and Tifa who were washing his car outside. He saw Tifa yelling at Cloud with an annoyed expression on her face, and then Cloud just sprayed her with a bit of water. Tifa got angry and threw soap suds at Cloud.

Sitting there, Rufus couldn't help but feel a little jealous of Cloud. 'Hmph. He gets to play with the pretty angel…' he thought, his blue eyes suddenly flared up with jealousy. Cloud squirted more water on her, and her hair and clothes became wet. She screeched at Cloud, and threw a pail at him, but she missed; only getting Cloud wet in soap. The two started a water fight.

Aerith pouted, feeling jealous herself. She turned left and saw Rufus watching them with an annoyed look as well. She thought, 'Looks like I'm not the only jealous one…time for them to be punished!' She then stood up to get reinforcements. Reinforcement could only mean one thing: Getting the owner/boss, Barret Wallace.

"You #$ foo's! STOP FOO'ING AROUN'!" Barret yelled after storming outside. Aerith gave a "Hmph!" to Cloud before going inside to resume her work. Rufus just chuckled lightly watching the comedy before his eyes. 'Serves you right, blond-haired. Though I'll have to get back at that bear if he hurt the angel's feelings…'

He returned to 'reading' when he saw Tifa walk in, soaking wet, her shirt almost see-through. Rufus blushed furiously and quickly hid his face in the newspaper. Tifa eyed him. 'Still reading the newspaper…oh well, so much for flirting…' she thought before going into the locker room.

She came out again, after changing into a dry shirt, and holding two towels. She went outside and gave one to Cloud. Rufus and Aerith saw Cloud mouthing, "Thanks" before rubbing his hair vigorously with it. Tifa dried her hair with the other one, before grabbing a sponge to start cleaning again. They saw Cloud say, "Sorry, Tifa." Then they saw her say, "It's okay, just don't do it again."

Aerith gritted her teeth, suddenly hating the fact that Cloud was paying a lot of attention to Tifa. She fixed her gaze to Tifa and glared. 'If only I could summon a bolt of lightning and zap her with it…' she thought evilly. Rufus, on the other hand, was thinking of pretty much the same thing. 'I'll just get the Turks to assassinate him…' he thought, watching them with a cold stare fixed on Cloud.

Tifa and Cloud turned to the office, thinking someone was watching them. Aerith pretended to look busy while Rufus just read the entertainment section without caring what the contents were. "I thought we were being watched…" said Tifa. Cloud nodded. "I think it's more that 'watch', Teef…" he replied uneasily.

* * *

Rufus set the newspaper aside, watching the two polishing his car. He turned to Aerith. "Excuse me, miss…" Rufus began. Aerith looked up at him and smiled. "Gainsborough. Just call me Aerith, sir." He looked at her and asked, "Well, Miss Aerith, I was wondering…" Aerith just sat there, smiling. 'Damn, just ask her the bloody question, ShinRa!' he thought. "…I was wondering, what's the name of that girl washing my car?" he asked. 

Cloud peered through the glass window. He saw Rufus talking to Aerith at the counter. 'Why that damn ShinRa brat…' he thought as he saw Aerith giggling. Tifa pitched in to see what was Cloud looking at. 'Hmph! That Aerith! Isn't Cloud enough? Has she got to hit on Rufus, too?' she thought angrily.

"Her name's Tifa Lockheart, sir. I could give you her number, if you want…" she said slyly. Cloud and Tifa saw the sly look on Aerith's face. 'Grr…bitch!' Tifa thought before continuing her polishing. Cloud glared at Rufus, his blue-green eyes glowing somewhat.

"Thank you for the information, Miss Aerith…but don't mention this to anyone, alright?" he said in a gentlemanly manner. Aerith giggled. "No problem, President ShinRa. Just call me Aerith, I feel so old when you call me 'Miss'," she said. Rufus smirked. "Heh, thank you ever so much then, Aerith," he said, before bowing down and took her hand before kissing it.

Aerith blushed slightly then giggled, covering her mouth with her right hand, "Oh my, you're too much, Mister President…" Cloud's temper (or limit break) was about to burst. "Damn…that…ShinRa…bastard…" he muttered under his breath. Tifa's jealousy was also at the critical level. 'Oh my GAWD, she's such a BITCH!' she thought, clenching the white polish, making her hands white. Cloud stood up, and was about to walk over to the office to give Rufus a piece of his mind when he saw Barret standing there, glaring at them with slits for pupils. Tifa and Cloud quickly got back to work.

Aerith looked past Rufus and saw Cloud with a VERY angry look on his face. 'Payback accomplished,' she thought to herself. Smiling, she took a few folders and went into Barret's office. Rufus just sat back down, looking outside. Tifa had a very annoyed, angered, and hurt look on her face. 'Looks like payback hurts, huh, Tifa?' he thought, smirking, before opening a magazine.

"Your car is ready, Mister President, sir," Aerith told Rufus. "Thank you, Aerith. I'll just be heading to lunch now…" he replied. 'Better call Reno first,' he thought. He took out his flip phone (Motorola Razr V3, yeah!) and called Reno via speed dial, ignoring the hundreds of voice messages Scarlet left. "Yo, Reno here. Whassup, Prez?" asked Reno on the other line. "Don't '_what's up_' me, Reno. Is Scarlet bloody gone yet?" he asked. "Yeah, she left 10 minutes ago, she got tired of waiting. And, she told me to tell you that she wants to have lunch with you. She wants you to _call_ her," said Reno, dripping with sarcasm.

'I'd rather eat at a fast food restaurant than eat in front of her heavily make-upped face…' he thought in disgust, and then said, "Sure, I'll _call_ her. I'm going back to the office for lunch." He hung up and walked outside. Tifa was sitting there, drinking a bottle of cold water. Cloud had already left. Tifa noticed him staring at her, so she blushed and capped the bottle. Rufus then winked at her before walking over to his car.

Tifa blushed some more. 'What's his problem?' she thought as she saw his polished Porsche drive out of the car wash.

Rufus inhaled the scent of pink champagne, stronger than when he smelt it in his BMW. "Her scent…Tifa Lockheart…" he muttered. His cheeks went pink for a second or two. He then thought, 'Her name sounds wonderful when it comes out of my mouth. You sexy thing, you…' as if scolding/praising himself, being self-centered.

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To be continued…

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A/n: Ugh, he is so vain! Then again, that's what we love about him. XD Nyaks. Stay tuned for chapter 3! And also, _get your car washed today...hey! _(gets punched by Tifa) Nyaaks… 

P.S.: About Tifa being associated to the smell of pink champagne, that's thanks to the best Rufus/Tifa writer ever (she got me hooked on), General Quistis!


	3. The Red Ferrari

**Car Wash**

by Chiharu Tanaka

A/n: I know this looks bad. I haven't updated in a gazillion years. But thanks to a wonderful reviewer and searching through my hard disk later, lo and behold, I found the chapters that I already wrote for this fanfic, until chapter 5, at least. So I decided to post them all up, although it's still not finished yet. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: The meaning of disclaimer is disclaiming something; knowing, believing, and saying that it isn't yours. Therefore, I disclaim FF7. Happy?

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_Chapter 3: The Red Ferrari_

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_A few days later…_

Cloud stared in awe as a shiny new red Ferrari came to the car wash. "Expensive cars really love it here…I wonder if it's Rufus ShinRa again…" he growled, still angered at Rufus who kissed Aerith's hand a few days ago. The car parked in front of the office, and out came Reno, and a man with long black hair and crimson eyes.

"Hey, Teef! Reno's here!" yelled Cloud. Waiting for Tifa to come, he observed the tall stranger. He was really fair, and his black hair seemed as if it came out of a Pantene commercial. "Weird…" he muttered.

"Yo~ Teef! Whassup?" said Reno, patting Tifa's head.

"Hi, Reno. That's some car you brought today…is that black-haired guy your boss?" she asked, pointing to the tall man. Reno smirked.

"Nah, that's Vincent Valentine. He's tagging along with me today," he said. Tifa eyed Reno curiously.

"Who are you two working for anyway? You never told me! You brought a BMW a week ago, now you brought a beautiful Ferrari convertible? Tell me, Reno!" she screeched, nagging him.

"Jeez, Tifa…you never asked who I worked for. Now that you did, I'll tell you. Vincent and I work for Rufus ShinRa, the Prez of ShinRa Electric Company. Happy now?" said Reno, ticked off a little. Tifa gasped and covered her mouth.

'No wonder he came here on Tuesday…' she thought. Vincent walked over to them.

"Good morning, miss…" Tifa smiled at him.

"Tifa Lockheart. Don't wear it out, Mr. Valentine," she said, poking his chest with her index finger.

"Okay, Miss Lockheart…I'll just sit inside…" he replied, before going inside.

After Vincent went in, talked business with Aerith and opened a magazine, Tifa asked Reno, "So, what do you work as?" Reno smirked.

"Well, I'm a Turk. Sorta like a bodyguard. They're 4 of us." Tifa nodded.

"And Vincent…?" she asked curiously.

"Oh, Vin's the personal assistant. He's got a big pay, walking around with Rufus all day. I think he's like Rufus's brother or something…he understands Rufus well…" replied Reno.

Tifa placed her hand on her chin. "Then…what's he doing here? Isn't he supposed to be at the office?" she asked Reno curiously. Reno laughed.

"That's the funny part. He's here because one of Rufus's executives is _stalking_ him."

Tifa raised an eyebrow, curiously wondering which of the executives turned gay. "I know all five of them…which one's _stalking_ him?" Tifa asked, clueless. Reno snickered.

"It's Sephiroth." Tifa burst out in laughter.

"Se…Sephiroth?" she said in between giggles. Reno laughed with her.

"Yeah, old Seph always had his eye on Vin…I always noticed that, haha," said Reno, laughing.

"Hey, Teef, time to clean the Ferrari!" said Cloud, in a somewhat excited tone.

"Okay, be right there, Cloud," she called back. "Reno, oh my GAWD, I can't believe Sephiroth, the best looking among the executives…and most macho too! He's GAY?" she screeched before laughing again.

"Okay, okay, relax, and go clean Prez Rufus' car already," Reno said, shooing her away.

Tifa ran to Cloud, still giggling. Reno sighed a little, before going inside. 'Seriously, Prez Rufus digs Tifa…' he thought. As he stepped in and sat beside Vincent, he noticed that Vincent was glaring at him. "What?" asked Reno nervously.

"Don't try to hide it from me, Reno…you told Tifa about Sephiroth didn't you?" said Vincent, obviously annoyed and VERY angry.

"Relax, Vin…it's gonna be soon when Seph _proposes_ to you in front of the media…" said Reno, smirking. Vincent gritted his teeth and punched Reno on the arm...with the new 'claw' weapon prototype on his left arm.

Tifa laughed when she heard Reno's scream of pain. 'Vincent must've found out…' she thought.

* * *

"Kyah~ Rufus dah-ling!" said a voice.

Rufus winced in disgust. Scarlet walked up to him and hugged him. He pushed her off. "What do you want now, Scarlet?" he asked, annoyed.

Scarlet always wore very…revealing attire, usually in red, and always wore heavy make up on her face. Why, the amount of make-up she uses is enough to astound a Kabuki actor! Rufus snorted, thinking, 'She should remove that make-up…at least she'll look _decent_…'

"Why don't we have lunch together today? Or are you busy? Maybe a nice dinner should do instead. Kyah~" she said, her hands tugging Rufus's arm.

He simply said, "I'm busy, I won't be eating lunch. And I'm tired, so I'd prefer to eat alone at dinnertime." Scarlet's tears welled up in her eyes. She took a hanky and started crying crocodile tears.

"I knew it! You have someone else! You're just like your father…" she said in between sobs. Rufus slammed his hand on the desk.

"I. AM. NOT. LIKE. MY. FATHER." Scarlet just stood there, looking innocently helpless, when she was actually grinning, knowing she could use his late father against him. "I'm not like that bloody bastard, so shut up and get out of my office," he snarled.

Scarlet faked more tears as she pointed an accusing finger at him, "As if! You have other women! I knew it! And I was so stupid to trust you…kyah~" She cried and left the office with Rufus rolling his eyes sarcastically.

"To bloody hell with that bitch…" he cursed.

* * *

"Oh dear, are you alright, Mr. Reno?" asked Aerith, rushing to Reno. Vincent snorted.

"He deserved that." Reno just smirked.

"Yeah, since Sephiroth designed and made that claw thing…" Vincent gritted his teeth again and…

BAM.

"OOOOOOOOOUUUCCCCCCHHHH~~~#$^%*!" screamed Reno, wincing in pain. His bruise on the right arm became bigger when Vincent punched it again.

Aerith, feeling worried, said, "Oh dear, let me get the first aid kit…" then left to the locker room.

Reno held his right forearm. "Damn you, Valentine…" he growled in pain.

Vincent sarcastically remarked, "Maybe I should _thank_ Sephiroth for _forcing_ me to wear this…" Reno just snickered.

Outside, Cloud snickered loudly. "Ahh, so the great and mighty Sephiroth has a thing for men like Vincent…" They both heard Reno's scream and laughed again.

Tifa asked Cloud, "I wonder if he deserved that…" Cloud just nodded. They laughed again.

Cloud then changed the subject by saying, "Hey Teef…there's this new carnival downtown…you wanna come with me and Aerith?" asked Cloud, proud of himself that he had just asked Aerith out before Reno came. Tifa giggled.

"Nah, maybe I'll go with Zack and Yuffie. I wouldn't wanna spoil the lovebirds' fun, now do I?" she asked Cloud teasingly. Cloud just blushed. "When are you going anyway?" asked Tifa.

Cloud replied, "Well, today's Friday, so I'm taking her tonight…" with a blush on his face.

Tifa smiled, while deep down inside she was sighing. 'I would want to go out to the carnival with the guy I like…at least Vincent's got an admirer that I think he admires…' she thought before dipping the sponge in a pail.

* * *

"Seriously Prez…why are you asking me to go there and make Tifa wash ALL of your cars for you?" asked Reno, handing Rufus his car keys with his left arm. His right arm had a sling on it.

"Shut up, Reno. What's with the sling?" Rufus asked. Reno sighed.

"If I tell you, Sephiroth's future wife would punch me with that claw of his!" he remarked.

Vincent, who was standing behind Reno, said, "I heard that," in a low, dangerous tone.

Reno gulped nervously and said, "Gotta run," before running towards the employee carpark. Vincent just snorted. Rufus smirked.

"Future wife? Are you going to invite me, lad?" asked Rufus, patting Vincent's back.

"I'd rather be dead…" he muttered.

Sephiroth, who was heading towards the carpark himself, spotted Vincent standing beside Rufus. He instantly ran towards Vincent. "Vinneh! There you are~~" Vincent winced.

Rufus spoke to him and said, "Looks like _someone_ got infected by Scarlet's disease…" Vincent sighed, before feeling Sephiroth wrap an arm around him. Rufus just chuckled. "I'll be in my Ferrari, if you need me…" he said, before leaving poor Vincent in the clutches of the homosexual executive.

* * *

Tifa looked behind her, as she thought she heard someone screaming for help. 'Must be my scatterbrain,' she thought, before grabbing her knapsack and walking out of the locker room.

She spotted Aerith and Cloud walking outside. She sighed. 'Going to the carnival. Hmph.' She was jealous that Cloud took Aerith out, while she was left all alone by herself. 'Cloud and Aerith will get married, and I'll be a cranky old lady with 27 cats,' she thought, sighing. She read her watch, and it said: 5:15 p.m.

Tifa walked out the car wash and headed for the subway. "Which I have to pass the carnival…great…" she muttered miserably. As she was walking by, a car was following her. Watching her every move. As a warm summer wind blew by, she shuddered uneasily. Through her peripheral vision, she saw the car. 'Some bastard is following me…I'd better run,' she thought before running. As she ran, the car followed her.

"Damn!" she cursed. She made a quick turn into a dark, narrow alley. As she ran, she realized doing so was a big mistake. A high wall blocked her way. She was at a dead end.

The car skidded at the enterance of the dead end alley, and a few professional gangsters jumped out of the car. They had knives and beaters with them. Tifa gulped, now really afraid. She silently prayed to God to send help. Nothing happened. The gangsters were coming closer. "C'mon, lil' lady…we just want to play with you. We won't hurt you…" she heard one say. She realized the only way out was to fight. She readied herself into a fighting position.

"Fighting back, huh?" said an ugly one at the back. "Let's get 'er, boys!" Tifa dodged the cut of the first gangster. She jumped high and landed on the first guy's head. He was knocked unconscious. The second one side-swinged at her with a beater, but she dodged it by bending down and counter-attacked with a fist uppercut on the man's jaw, before giving him a nice somersault. He was knocked backwards, and landed on top of a big closed rubbish bin.

The leader, the ugliest one, yelled, "What're you standing there, get her!" The third guy swinged a sword at her using a stabbing movement. She dodged it by somersaulting over him before giving him a painful side kick to his arm. He flinched. Tifa smiled in confidence, until she heard the sound of a loaded gun.

"Play with us, yeah, little missy? Well, now you're going to suffer," said the leader, holding a gun. The third guy took out his own gun, and the second one aimed the gun at her with his gun as well. 'Shit…' she thought in fear.

All wasn't well for Tifa, until gunshots were heard. She closed her eyes, and then opened them when she realized none of the goons pulled the trigger. 'Then…where did that gunshot come from?' she thought to herself. A gunshot was heard once more in the dark alley, and it hit the leader's left arm. "Argh…" he winced in pain. They all aimed their guns to the one who shooted the leader and shooted a few bullets. Their plan didn't seem to be working, as the shooter hit the leader again. The second guy carried the first one back into the car. "Retreat!" yelled the leader. He went into the car with the third guy. Tifa just stood there while the gangsters sped off like chickens.

"Are you all right?" said a voice. Tifa gasped.

'I know that voice…but…where?' she thought, feeling a little panicky. The alley was dark, so she could barely see the guy who saved her.

"R…Rufus ShinRa? But what are you doing here?" Tifa screeched, finally recognizing the figure before her. He still had his poker-faced expression, eyeing her.

"Are you alright?" he asked, still as emotionless as he always was.

Tifa rubbed her arm nervously. "No…I'm OK. I'm…sorry to cause you any trouble, Mr. President…" she muttered uneasily. Why wouldn't she? The guy had enough authority to throw her to life imprisonment! A cold wind blew through her, and she shivered nervously. She just stood there, waiting for the young President to say something.

"Good."

The short answer made Tifa feel guilty all of a sudden. She realized he was there alone, without any of his Turks. He could have been killed by the gangsters. Tifa just stared at him, pondering on what to do. Rufus just kept silent, before turning his heel towards the other direction. As he reached outside the dark alley, Tifa decided to give it a shot. "W…wait!" she stammered.

Rufus turned to her casually, and flipped his hair. "Yes?" he asked.

Tifa blushed. 'Get a grip, Lockheart! You can't show him what a girly girl you are! Talk!' she thought, then shook her head violently. "Right. I'd like to repay you for saving my life, Mr. President," she said, sounding more firm and attentive.

He chuckled, a smile plastered on his face. "Repay me?" he asked.

"Yes, I know I can't repay you with money, since you're rich already, but I owe you one. You understand, right?" she asked, fiddling with her fingers. Rufus raked his fingers through his hair.

"Well, I think I know how you could repay me," he said, after doing some thinking.

Tifa looked up at the tall man. "Well…what is it? I'd gladly do it, unless you're going to do something bad to me…" she said with anticipation, her speech trailing off.

Rufus smiled. "I won't harm you, don't worry."

Tifa sighed in relief. 'He isn't like his father after all…' she thought. Tifa looked at him, and he was still smiling at her. She smiled. 'He looks much better when he smiles,' she added in her thought, blushing slightly.

"You'll repay me with a date," he abruptly said. Tifa blushed, her mind panicking.

"D…date?" she asked nervously.

Rufus smirked and said, "Well, you said you owe me one and a date seems harmless enough." Tifa nodded.

"Okay. When is it?" she asked.

"Right now. You're coming with me to the carnival," he replied casually.

"Umm…no offesnse, Mr. President, but…aren't you very recognizable in that outfit?" Tifa asked, feeling her fear of him slowly slipping away. He smirked at her again.

"If you care to wait for me, I'll change."

Tifa blushed. "Umm, I don't mind. Where are you going to change?" she asked, knowing that she must've sounded really stupid.

"At my house, of course. Are you following?" he asked, turning to her.

Tifa just stood there for a while. She was still wearing a white t-shirt and a long sleeved red shirt over it, and her blue ¾ jeans. 'Still casual,' she thought. "Okay, I'll follow," she said, giving in. She walked over to the right front door of his car, which she noticed, was the red Ferrari Reno brought that morning. She put her hand out to open the door, but Rufus caught her wrist.

"No, please, let me," he said, then opening the door for her.

"Thank you, Mr. President," she uttered, blush still on her face.

She climbed in and sat down. She was fastening her seatbelt when Rufus climbed in from the other side of the convertible. "By the way, Tifa Lockheart…just call me Rufus," he said, winking at her.

* * *

_To be continued…_

A/n: To be honest, I haven't read this in 6 years...so I don't know what I was thinking when I wrote this. Anyway, reviews are very appreciated, as always.


	4. The Red Ferrari part 2

**Car Wash**

by Chiharu Tanaka

* * *

A/n: And so it continues...

Disclaimer: The meaning of disclaimer is disclaiming something; knowing, believing, and saying that it isn't yours. Therefore, I disclaim FF7. Happy?

* * *

_Chapter 4: The Red Ferrari (Part 2)_

* * *

Tifa gaped in awe at the magnificent sight before her. Standing solid and tall about 500 meters in front of her, was Rufus' mansion, which land area was almost as big as The White House in Washington D.C. The compound was filled with tall, shady trees.

"Close your mouth before a fly gets stuck in your throat."

Tifa quickly closed her mouth, embarrassed. "Sorry," she said. "It's just that your house is massive in size…" she babbled. Rufus just smirked, as the automatic gates opened. He drove in, passing through a huge field with birch trees at the roadside.

Tifa couldn't help but look around in awe. 'This is how the really rich are like…' she thought. Rufus parked his red Ferrari right in front of the steps leading to the front door of the mansion. A butler opened the door for him.

"Good evening, Sir Rufus, Madam," he greeted, noticing that he brought Tifa along. Rufus left the car keys with the butler.

She walked inside, and at the entrance, the walls were painted professionally; the round shaped Persian carpet on the floor; roses in expensive Ming vases, and paintings of elegance by famous French artists were on the walls. She gaped in awe some more. Rufus walked towards the right, and she quickly followed him.

He led her to the living room (which has another on the left side), and she was looking around the interior like a completely naïve person. "Have a seat, I'll be down in a few minutes," he said, before walking towards the huge marble steps in the massive living room.

Not daring to disobey a man with such power, she sat down on a soft two-seated sofa. She touched the sofa with her palm. "Wow, this must've cost thousands of dollars…" she thought. She looked at the ceiling, and hanging there was an exquisite looking chandelier. "Wow…" she muttered under her breath. "The gang really should see this…"

She looked at the hallway at one end of the living room, and Vincent popped out, wearing a red button-up shirt and casual black slacks. "Hmm? Hey, Mr. Valentine! What're you doing here?" she asked. Vincent was surprised to see her, but walked towards her anyway.

"I live here…what are_ you_ doing here?" he asked.

Tifa blushed a little. 'I should just tell the truth…' she thought. "Well, I got into a knot with some gangsters, and Pres – I mean Rufus, saved me, so I told him I owe him one. I didn't know he wanted a date from me…" she explained. Vincent just raised an eyebrow at her.

"Very well then, Miss Lockheart. I shall be off to the kitchen now, if you will excuse me," he said, before bowing to her and walking on towards the left side of the mansion.

Tifa sighed and blew her bangs away from her face with a puff. 'Man, I feel so low in this place,' she thought. She then brushed the thought away. 'I wonder what he'll be wearing…maybe something like Vincent's clothing or something…'

She soon got her answer, as Rufus got downstairs wearing a normal red-white T-shirt and a black long sleeved shirt under it. He had black slacks on for comfort, and white-silver sport shoes, plus a red-white cap with an 'X' on the top. Tifa giggled like a schoolgirl. "You look so much more…vibrant, Rufus," she said. He smirked at her. His hair wasn't gelled back, therefore he put the cap on.

"Shall we leave?" he asked. Tifa nodded, and followed him outside.

They took Vincent's Toyota Camry out, to avoid suspicion, as all 6 of Rufus' cars were highly expensive and famous sportcars. And, since Vincent also uses a pretty expensive car (it's actually the cheaper, Vincent has a BMW X-5 – but that would make people stare), Rufus won't be allergic to a certain 'pennyless' bacteria.

They arrived at the carnival later, at about 6 p.m. Tifa got out of the car and looked around. They were a lot of people there, families, couples, a bunch of schoolfriends, and so on. Rufus took Tifa's wrist. "Let's have fun this evening," he said. She smiled and followed him on the rides around the carnival.

* * *

Aerith was biting off the pink cotton candy Cloud had insisted on buying for her, when she saw Tifa giggling whilst a mysterious blond-haired stranger, a company of hers, shoots off with cork guns. He won and the booth guy handed him a teddy bear, which he gave to Tifa.

"Hey, Cloud…who's that with Tifa?" she asked. Cloud looked over the crowd of people and spotted them talking to each other happily and purchasing hot dogs at a stand.

"Hmm…dunno. Maybe she's got herself a date tonight?" he said, shrugging.

Aerith thought for a moment. 'Wait…I thought she had an interest on Rufus ShinRa?'

Meanwhile, Rufus was munching off the hot dog like a kid, since he hadn't eaten one in ages. Tifa giggled at him. "Really, if people can recognize you…" she muttered, and wiped off the mustard smear off his face with a tissue. He smirked.

"I don't think so, you don't see me smiling, wearing casual or roughing up my hair very often, do you? I look 98% unrecognizable like this."

Tifa just giggled and finished her hot dog, tossing the tissue away in the bin. Her left arm was still clutching on the brown coloured teddy bear. "What next?" she asked, looking around. He looked at the sky and saw the ferris wheel.

"How about we ride on that?" he asked. Tifa blushed slightly, the thought of being alone with a very, VERY handsome man with such money and power didn't exactly make her feel comfortable, instead, it gave her butterflies in her stomach.

"Okay…whatever you want," she said. They stood at the back of the line forming in front of the ferris wheel. Tifa looked around, just in case someone she knew saw her.

"What's wrong?" asked Rufus, puzzled on what she was looking around for.

"Nothing…I'm just concerned if any of my friends are here, they might tease me tomorrow," she said.

They turn finally came, and they got into the little cabin. After having the cabins all filled up, it rotated, like a usual ferris wheel. Tifa fiddled with her fingers nervously, being 30 feet up in the air, a suave, charming man across her. "Feels nice up here, isn't it?" he said suddenly, making Tifa's heart skip a beat.

"Uh, yeah…I guess it's peaceful up here. After all, the electricity is provided by your company…" she said with a blush across her cheeks. Slowly, he smirked, and gave a reply.

"Why thank you. Though I really wish to enjoy the life of normal people…"

Tifa looked at him. 'Poor guy, he must be busy 24/7…' she thought sadly.

"Why don't you tell me about being rich and powerful? Not to mention attractive…" she said, giving a hint at the end of her sentence. Rufus turned to her and smirked even wider.

"You think I'm attractive?" he asked.

Tifa smiled nervously. "Urm, yeah…I think every girl in this city does…" she said, trailing off.

"Well then, being rich and powerful isn't that fun, especially since I have an annoying witch on my tail," he said, referring to Scarlet.

"A witch?" asked Tifa, confused.

"She keeps thinking that I actually have an interest in her, but I don't. Not to mention she dresses like a slut, people will think I'm like my father…" Tifa nodded.

"You must really hate your father…" she said gently, trying not to offend him.

"Yeah, I do hate that old fart. He killed my mother, so I decided to get a payback by making sure he dies of being too fat," he said, then chuckled. Tifa gasped slightly. She had no idea he hated his father that much.

After they got down from the ride, they headed over to some other game booths, and surprisingly, Rufus won many of the games. "Gun practice. Took it since I was 10," Rufus had said, handing a furry kitten plush toy to Tifa. Tifa giggled, taking another to add to the 4 other plush toys he won.

"I think I can only hold about this much…let's call it a night and try something else…"

A smirk creeping up his handsome face, Tifa couldn't help but shudder a little. "Okay. Your parents will get angry if you're out at night too much, am I right?" Tifa nodded slightly.

'Though Mom would most probably love for me to hang out with you more often…' she thought with a sigh.

"Thanks for the ride…Rufus…" she said, still not used to calling him by his first name. He smirked.

"You're welcome." He handed her a card after taking it out from his pocket. "Call me anytime you wish."

She took the card with a trembling hand. Smiling sheepishly, she took off the seatbelt. Without warning, Rufus suddenly leaned over towards her and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. "Good night, Tifa," he said. She turned to him, embarrassed. Her champagne red eyes came in contact with his ice blue ones.

Blood rushed upwards to her cheeks, she felt like it swelled up. "G…Good night." She grabbed the plush toys and quickly got out of the car, running towards the front door of her house. She quickly closed the front door behind her, panting heavily. She peered out the window, hidden behind a curtain.

The red Ferrari just stood there, motionless, before it left a few minutes after Tifa had entered the house. She subconsciously touched her left cheek. 'Rufus ShinRa…one of the most powerful and influential…not to mention gorgeous men around here…just took me out on a date and kissed me on the cheek…someone pinch me – I'm dreaming!' she thought in panic.

* * *

Aerith gently combed her hair with her fingers as she picked up the phone. "Hello, Wallace Car Wash. How may I help you?" On the other line was Cloud. "Hey, Aerith…could you tell Boss that I can't come today?"

"What's wrong?" asked Aerith worriedly. "It's nothing too bad…I just got food poisoning. Must have been the corndogs…" he mumbled. "Don't worry about me too much, though. I'll be fine. I'll be back tomorrow."

"Okay then…I hope you get well soon."

She put the phone back down with a worried look on her face. 'Maybe I'll visit him later…' she thought. Tifa, who just entered the office, already changed into the car wash T-shirt.

"Who was that, Aer?" she asked, sitting down on the couch.

"Cloud. He can't come today – he's got food poisoning."

Tifa had a startled look on her face. "Right…you guys were at the carnival…" she mumbled. Aerith turned to her, smiling.

"Speaking of which," she said, as she stacked together some account papers. "Who was the guy with you last night?"

She gulped nervously as she fiddled with her fingers. "Well…if you promise you won't tell…" she mumbled, looking up at Aerith embarrassingly. Aerith's glossy pink lips curved into a wider smile.

"Don't worry, I won't."

Tifa let out a big, loud sigh as she replied, "It was Rufus." Aerith gaped at her with awe.

"Rufus? As in…_the_ Rufus ShinRa?" she asked in disbelief. Tifa could feel her blood rushing up to her cheeks as she nodded slowly. Aerith stood up and sat beside her on the couch. "Oh my gosh – what happened? You two look so close? I thought you said you were going there some other day with Zack and Yuffie?" Tifa turned sideways to look at her.

She explained about the favour she owed Rufus for saving her life. "Oh my gosh…he saved you? That's so…heroic! Thank goodness you're alright." She patted Tifa's shoulder before returning to her table.

"Are you going to be the First Lady of the company, hmm?" she asked teasingly.

Tifa blushed like a ripe tomato and replied a stern, "NO!" It was then that Zack rushed into the office.

"Hey, Teef…you've got a customer…"

* * *

_To be continued…_

A/n: Stay tuned for chapter 5.


	5. The Yellow Jaguar

**Car Wash**

By Chiharu Tanaka

* * *

A/n: Here's the last part I've typed out. Chapter 6 will take a while, since I need to get my bearings straight in this story.

Disclaimer: Why do I even bother…go ahead! SUE MEEEE~~~:D

* * *

_Chapter 5: The Yellow Jaguar_

* * *

Tifa tilted her head slightly. "A customer?" she mumbled. Zack approached her and sighed sadly.

"Sorry Teef; Yuffie, Cid and I are working overtime on the autowash. I hope you can handle this car yourself…"

She stood up from the couch. "It's not a problem, don't sweat it."

Just as she was about to walk out (Zack came in to get his quarters to buy a can of soda) of the office, she gasped as she spotted the car coming in the driveway. It was a solid, brand new, yellow Jaguar model that was just released last month.

Tifa stood there at the entrance and gaped at the car. 'Oh my gosh…this just HAS to be Rufus's car! What if he's inside?' she thought in panic. Frantically, she walked backwards into the office and bumped against Zack who was just about to get out.

"Ooof!" mouthed Zack as he fell butt first on the floor. Tifa bent down and faced him.

"Sorry, Zack…" she muttered miserably.

"It's okay, Teef…" he replied, before standing up and exiting the office. Tifa turned backwards and saw the very person she didn't want to see but longed to see at the same time.

"Good afternoon," greeted Rufus, as he took off his mirror shades and flashed a wide, stunning grin at her.

Her heart felt like butter melting under the hot summer sun. 'Why oh why is he so darn handsome?' her mind screeched.

As Rufus walked over to Aerith's table and handed her his platinum credit card, Tifa picked her scrunchie out from her pocket – a bright red one. She carefully tied her long, dark brown hair into a high ponytail and sighed. "Today is SO hot! What is it – 37 degrees Celcius out here?"

Aerith gave Tifa a signal to start working. She sighed a little as she walked near the soda machine and grabbed a pail, a bottle of car shampoo, a bottle of car polish, some cloths and a few sponges. She set them beside the yellow Jaguar and went back to pull the hose out.

Rufus watched her as she filled the buckets up with water. "Where's the blondie?" came the question out of his mouth. Aerith turned to look at him.

"Well, Mister President, sir…he's sick today…"

Under the blazing rays of the summer sun, Tifa wiped off her sweat as she continued scrubbing the car. "There's no one available to help her?" he asked again. Aerith shook her head slowly.

"We're very busy during the weekends…" she said, slowly. "I really wish I could help her, but my boss wouldn't like that…"

Rufus groaned a "Mmph" before picking up a newspaper and opening it up. He browsed through the business section, eyeing the progression of the stock markets. Tifa, however, was not having a good time. She sighed again as she washed her face with some water from the spray hose.

'Are you just going to sit there and watch her suffer?' came a voice in his mind. He raked his hair with his fingers gently and folded the newspaper, setting it aside. 'Curse me and my stupid ego…'

* * *

"Hey, Elena – look who's coming…"

Tseng nudged his blond-haired partner, Elena, as she looked up from her desk full of paperwork and to the direction he was pointing at. She looked at him in disgust.

"Not her again. She's been coming to the office a lot lately…" she muttered. Scarlet, wearing her usual low-cut, backless red gown, walked up to Vincent who was sipping down a cup of coffee. They took a peek from behind the work cubicle.

"Is my _dah-ling_ Rufus in today?" she asked with her high-pitched, snobby voice. Vincent set the coffee back on its coaster.

"No, Miss Scarlet…he's out on some…urgent business right now," was Vincent's dull reply.

Elena tried hard to stifle her laugh as Scarlet slammed her palm against Vincent's table. "I think he's hiding something from me. What do you know about it?" she squawked.

"The President has his own life – and that does not concern me. Now, since he isn't present right now, will you please leave or shall I call security to escort you downstairs?"

Scarlet withdrew a few feet from Vincent's table, as he was pretty agitated at the moment. "Fine then," she growled, before walking towards the elevator. She turned towards the Turks' tables and gave them Elena and Tseng threatening glare.

"Which car did he use?" she growled again.

Elena, who was pretty scared of her, mumbled, "Umm…I think it was the yellow Jaguar…" Scarlet then smirked before leaving the Turks.

"Phew, that was close," said Tseng, rushing back to his seat. "For a moment there, I thought we were pork chop!" Their other partner, Rude, was still poker-faced and hunched over the paperwork.

As Scarlet exited the area, Reno came up to the table after a short visit to the men's bathroom. "Ah, that feels better. What did I miss?"

"The witch was here again…" mumbled Tseng as he started cursing in Chinese.

"Although…I wonder why she asked which car President Rufus used? I mean…he's got five others…" asked Elena, Reno sat down beside her.

After a few moments, Reno suddenly cursed as he stood up. "Oh shit! I gotta warn the Prez!"

* * *

Aerith raised a surprised eyebrow as Rufus stood up from the sofa and took off his white coat, exposing his black turtleneck. "What's wrong? Do you want me to turn up the air-conditioner?" she asked, curious on why he took off his jacket when the air-conditioning was working just fine.

"No, it's okay," he said. He emptied his pockets and set his wallet (full of credit cards…), his cell phone and his keys on Aerith's table. "Hold these for me."

"O…Okay…" she mumbled, as Rufus exited the office and walked over to Tifa. She quickly stood up and faced the man.

"Umm…hi…" she greeted nervously. He inched in closer to her.

"You don't have to be so nervous around me, I'm not intimidating now, am I?"

"N-no! Of course not…" she stammered nervously again.

"Listen, I want to thank you for the date last night. It's the best one I ever had."

Tifa crouched down again as she picked a sponge up from inside the pail. "You're…welcome," she said, as she began to wash the front right tyre.

"And if you don't mind…I'd like to take you out again sometime. My treat."

Tifa blushed and turned away from his prying blue eyes. "Sure…thanks." She closed her eyes and made a squirming expression to hide her excitement. 'Oh my gosh – he wants another date? Is he going to take me to Paris or something?' her mind screamed.

"Do you mind if I help you out?"

Tifa's eyes snapped open as she turned back towards him. Her eyes nearly bulged out from their sockets as without warning, Rufus was taking off his black turtleneck.

"Wha…What are you doing?" she screeched, flustered and awestruck. He tossed the turtleneck sweater onto a nearby wooden bench.

"Helping you out. Is that a crime?"

Tifa wanted to faint at that very second. Or better yet, fall into a coma and be sent to the hospital. She turned away once more, trying to avoid his eyes and avoid her own eyes from pervertedly staring at his well-toned abs.

"I…guess not."

* * *

As Barret was out to a parent-teacher conference at his daughter's school (thankfully), Aerith was alone in the office. When Rufus took off his shirt, she squeaked loudly in shock.

'What…what is he doing? Don't tell me he's going to help Tifa wash the car?' she thought. The phone rang as she saw Rufus pick up a sponge himself.

"Hello, Wallace Car…"

Aerith was cut short when Reno's voice answered. "Aerith! Is the Prez there?" he asked, in a panic tone.

"Yes, he is…"

"Tell him that Scarlet had stuck a homing device on his Jaguar, and she's on her way to the car wash right now! Also, tell him I'm coming in Vincent's X-5!"

"O…Okay…"

Aerith quickly put down the phone and rushed out of the office. She walked up to Rufus and Tifa.

"Mister President…Reno called and wanted me to tell you that Scarlet…whoever she is…stuck a homing device on your car and is on the way here right now. He also said he's coming with Vincent's X-5…"

Rufus cursed out loud as he stood up and walked over to the bench. He picked up his turtleneck and put it on. "Sorry, Tifa…maybe I'll take you out another day," he apologized, looking at her.

Slightly disappointed, Tifa just smiled. "It's okay, really." Rufus went inside to put on his white coat and took his wallet, keys and cellphone. A few moments later, Reno arrived with Vincent's BMW X-5. He quickly stopped the car and got out of the driver's seat.

"Hurry, Prez – get in the car! I'll cover for you."

Rufus got in the driver's seat, closed the door and drove away from the car wash. Reno breathed out a long sigh.

"What's going on, Reno?" asked Tifa. He smirked and tipped up his sunglasses. "You see, there's this witch who's the daughter of some big shipping company – and she's been tailing Rufus for years now."

"That's the 'Scarlet' you mentioned, right?" asked Aerith.

"Yeah. She was at the office, and when I heard from Elena that she asked which car Rufus used, I knew it could only mean one thing: she stuck a homing device on the car. I left the office as fast as I could."

"Wait, Reno…how'd you get here so fast?" asked Tifa, as she stood up.

"GPRS. Vincent has a mini PDA on his car that informs about traffic jams and such. Since it's lunchtime, I presume Scarlet used the Northern Highway, which has quite the chaos right now…"

Tifa and Aerith just nodded. "Believe me, Scarlet is not going to be happy if she knew Rufus has been hanging out around here for the past few days," concluded Reno.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, Scarlet arrived(easily noticeable since her car is scarlet red…) and stormed into the office. She saw Aerith calmly organizing files and Reno reading an automobile magazine.

"Where's Rufus?"

Reno looked upwards at her from behind the magazine. "What do you mean, 'where's Rufus', he's not here, duh!" he said mockingly.

"He's not in the office – and your little blondie girlfriend said he used the Jaguar!" she screeched. Aerith couldn't help but cringe.

"Do you need your eyes checked? He isn't here – obviously, he sent me here to wash his car…that's why you didn't see his car. Maybe he hid somewhere in the office building. Executive's lounge, maybe?"

The fire of anger in her eyes were flashing out at him. She stomped her foot on the carpeted floor and walked out the office. She noticed Tifa washing the tyres of the car.

She gave a scoff as she walked towards Tifa. "What's a slut like you doing washing his car?" she said loudly, loud enough for Aerith and Reno to hear.

"It's my job, and it takes one to know one," replied Tifa coolly. As Tifa stood up to refill her bucket of water, Scarlet marched right towards her and slapped her on the face.

"Bitch!" she screeched. Tifa pressed her left cheek in anger and pain, but she just stood there, glaring at Scarlet without another word. With a winner's smile, she left the car wash.

"Teef! You okay?" asked Reno as he got out of the office. Tifa nodded.

"Tell Rufus to check his car for homing devices next time…"

Later that afternoon, Reno came back to the ShinRa office with the yellow Jaguar. He took the elevator up to Rufus's office to drop the keys off.

"Ah, Reno. Just who I wanted to see."

"Oh, what up, boss?"

"Remind me to give you a bonus this month."

Reno just smiled. "Thank you, sir; I will."

* * *

_To be continued…_

A/n: Please review!


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